Up to 23 people sent to hospital after hydrochloric acid leak at St. Catharines, Ont., auto plant
Up to 23 people were sent to hospital after a “hazardous incident” at a THK Rhythm Automotive Canada Ltd. plant in St. Catharines, Ont., on Tuesday morning.
St. Catharines fire Chief Dave Upper said that at about 9 a.m. ET, a contractor at the Louth Street plant hit a valve that leaked five litres of hydrochloric acid.
He said the acid vapourized and three workers at the scene were able to shut it off, but have skin and “respiratory exposures.” Upper said the three workers were sent to hospital, along with nine more workers who suffered “minor exposure.”
Upper said the acid cloud was contained within the facility.
“We are asking the community to please avoid the Emergency Department at the St. Catharines Site and only visit if you have a life-threatening or critical emergency,” Niagara Health said in a tweet, noting that it would be receiving “up to 23 patients” as a result of the incident.
Upper said Ontario Ministry of Labour officials are on site and Hazmat teams are working at cleaning it up, but don’t know when that work might be complete.
Niagara police told CBC Hamilton that they responded to a call at a “commercial business located in the area of Louth Street and Ridley Road” at 10:34 a.m. “for a workplace accident involving a chemical spill.”
Niagara Health said other health-care options while the St. Catharines hospital site is handling patients from the chemical incident include visiting the:
- Niagara Falls Site Emergency Department.
- Welland Site Emergency Department.
- Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre.
- Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre.
A man who answered the phone on Tuesday at THK said the company does not have a comment at this time.
